Fire Wood

[kl9]

This may be obvious to some, but not me. What is the best type of wood to burn in a traditional fireplace? We have some wood we got helping a friend moving a down tree and it just burns to damn quick. I know to use hardwoods, but what is the best option?



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[tooln]

Anything that is dry. Green wood doesn't burn clean and will cause your chimney to get dirty. Dirty chimney = chimney fires. Any hard wood will burn longer.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

It depends on where you're located. Some areas don't have the good hardwoods that make the best fires ( long lasting and cleaner burning. ) Oak, hickory, locust, maple, birch, cherry, hop-hornbeam are the most common good hardwoods. Ash is also a good one, and many are dying because of the emerald ash borer ( EAB ). The dead ash will provide lots of good firewood for many folks.

Like Tooln said above, make sure it's dry. The rule of thumb is to season it for a year before burning. I cut my wood at least a year ahead of use. Unseasoned wood smolders and burns a smoky fire, causing creosote to build up in the chimney - the fuel of chimney fires. If you see someone's chimney constantly smoking, they either have wood that's too green or they don't know how to regulate their fire/woodstove. Hardwoods have better " coaling properties " - meaning they make good hot coals that last. I use all of the ones I mentioned above except locust. No locust near where I cut my wood. Whatever you decide to burn - dry it first !! ( I grew up with coal furnace and woodstove - have woodstove insert in my home fireplace to this day. )

 

[kl9]

I know what you mean about the coaling properties. I've never heard the term before, but can definitely tell what you're talking about. Thanks for the help guys.


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[SD51555]

Good rule of thumb I used when making firewood if I couldn't ID something; if it's hard to cut, it's likely great to burn. If it's easy to cut, it's likely junk.

 

[Jim Timber]

Dry weight is the biggest indicator of good energy density. If it's heavy, and that weight isn't water = good firewood.

Hardwood/softwood isn't the fine line people like to think. Aspen and basswood are both hardwoods and neither makes good heating wood because they're too light (like pine). However, those qualities that make them bad in a boiler make them great in a camp fire or a fireplace where you want the fire to burn down and not keep going (romantic evening vs heating the house all night).

 

[Natty Bumppo]

This may be obvious to some, but not me. What is the best type of wood to burn in a traditional fireplace? We have some wood we got helping a friend moving a down tree and it just burns to damn quick. I know to use hardwoods, but what is the best option?



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Do a quick search for "BTU Firewood Chart" and you'll find something like this:

https://forestry.usu.edu/htm/forest-products/wood-heating

Very dense woods, like apple, sugar maple, oak, and beech have the highest BTU ratings per cord. I do burn spruce and poplar, which have low ratings, but I burn it only in October and in March just to take the chill out of the house in the morning and evenings.

 

[Jeff23]

If you have locust around, sharpen up your saw and load up on that. Then sharpen your saw again... ;)

 

[j-bird]

Jim hit the nail on the head - the best firewood is dense and that means it's heavy (once it's truly dry). Oak, beech, hickory, hard/sugar maple and ash is typically the best stuff in my area. Locust is good as well, I just have very little of it. Avoid, cottonwood, willow, sycamore, boxelder (you know, the crap I am covered up in!) - these trees love water and store large amounts of it as such they are not very dense and more sponge like and make poor firewood - hinge these trees instead as they will hinge or stump sprout readily in most cases.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Another source for firewood info - http://thelograck.com/firewood_rating_chart.html

 

[Catscratch]

I like hedge but it pops a lot (good for a stove but might not want it for a fire place). Next is oak or red elm. I won't cut most other trees as I don't feel like I get enough btu's for the effort.

 

[Jim Timber]

I'd avoid boxelder for a wood stove or camp fire on the grounds it stinks. :) Probably wouldn't run it through a boiler either if it was an option, but at least there the stack puts the smell up a ways from nose level.

 

[kl9]

Thanks for the help everyone. Much appreciated. Those BTU charts are very informative.


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[sandbur]

Dry weight is the biggest indicator of good energy density. If it's heavy, and that weight isn't water = good firewood.

Hardwood/softwood isn't the fine line people like to think. Aspen and basswood are both hardwoods and neither makes good heating wood because they're too light (like pine). However, those qualities that make them bad in a boiler make them great in a camp fire or a fireplace where you want the fire to burn down and not keep going (romantic evening vs heating the house all night).

Jim a romantic evening might heat the house all night!

On the serious side, I grew up in an area where oak was in short supply. We would burn birch or popple during the day when family members were home to stoke the fire. We would keep the oak for at night.(when the romantic evening did not work out)